Leaf spring assemblies are conventionally used for suspending one component relative to another. Vehicle suspension is one example of an application using such assemblies. However a leaf spring assembly can be used in many different situations and the present invention is applicable to any of these and is not intended to be limited to vehicle suspensions.
Single point suspension systems are often utilized in heavy duty truck and trailer suspension systems. These systems typically use leaf spring assemblies featuring a plurality of individual leaf springs stacked one atop the other and connected together at approximately a center point along their length. The stack of leaf springs is connected to the frame at this center point, for example by a trunnion. At each end of the stack of springs the main leaf is connected to an axle by means of a cast or fabricated mount. These axle seats are often located on the spring stack by dowels extending into corresponding holes through the main leaf. These axle seats are typically open at the end of the spring stack in order to allow for interleaf movement.
In the event of failure of the main leaf or the dowels, the attachment would become unstable and could result in the axle coming free from the vehicle on which the leaf spring assembly is mounted as a result of the open ends. There is a demand for a safety device that compliments the locating of the mounts, for example by the dowels, by further securing the mounts to the stack of leaf springs.